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Coralie, McCott, and Jo C.
Has anyone heard from them? I know Jo posted not too long ago, but she wasn't feeling very well. It's been a little longer for McCott, and she has had major problems. Coralie has not posted for some time, and she had more than her plate full of physical problems. I hope things are OK with all of them.
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Hello(3)
Although this is my first post, I am not new to the forum. I’ve been gleaning useful information as well as comfort from many of you for over a year. I decided it’s time to come out of the shadows and introduce myself. DH and I have been married 40 years. I am 59 and he is 60. He was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s…
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Hospital to long term care...so hard!
My DH has been in the hospital for close to two weeks for his rapid deterioration physically and mentally due to dementia. It's been a grueling process for both of us. DH still has no understanding about his dementia. Thank goodness my state (KS) has protections in place for spouses regarding finances; however, I'm still…
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Just need to talk to my friends (141)
Morning, Time for #141 - time goes fast. Sara, remind me why you've been in quarantine, please. I know you don't get out too much either but you'll be glad when you can go if you want to. Ron, so you're enjoying Blue Bell. Have you had any problems with it? We used to eat that kind of ice cream all the time until the…
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Well I got one question answered
Joining this forum last summer helped me realize that we needed to get on the stick about updating our legal documents. Mine needed to be changed because she can no longer function as my poa or executor, and hers needed updating because of changes in family circumstances-and because she had invalidated her previous will by…
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Don't know what subject to put
It's been a while since I have posted anything. Each time I think I'll post something, something else happens and I think maybe that's the thing to post about. Then the next day it's something else. Things haven't been too bad recently but there are some things that are hurting me very much. One of those things is DH…
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Walking the tightrope
Some days I feel like I'm walking a tightrope. Most of DH's sentences are like playing some sort of game like Scattegories. I have to try and figure out what he's talking about, without asking too many questions. There's that fine line.....I can ask questions, and risk him flipping out on me, or I can just fake like I know…
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are there helpful medications these days?
my wife is becoming more and more forgetful and it's becoming more serious. she had a double mastecomy 4 years ago and i saw a deteriation about 2 years ago. tomorrow, we are visiting her cancer doctor for what is supposed to be the last time. i am going to talk to this doctor about what's going on and try to get my wife…
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Notifying family members
This is my 1st time submitting to the Caregiver Forum. I'm looking for guidance of how to discuss with my DW's (79) family that she is in mid-stage Alzheimer's. This is the opinion of our PCP & the feedback I have provided to him about her conditions. The reason I have not told her family is she has accused me of telling…
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Social security at age 70-Contingency planning
I just got my first Social security payment on my own account as opposed to the spousal allowance on DW's account. This trick has been eliminated for anyone born after Jan 1 1954. Covid has certainly caused a staggering increase in costs for DW, primarily the extra cost of her personal caretaker in MC. I saw her for the…
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Neglect of your loved one
I have been told by several, that if I choose to leave my DW alone and she has an accident or even a fatal one, charges could be pressed against me for negligence and I could be put into prison. Have any of you ever heard of such law(s)? Not that it would make a difference in explaining this to my DW to reinforce the…
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A question for our medical field members
Three years ago my wife had problems with AFIB. It seems to have resolved itself now. She also had indications in an MRI that she had suffered TIAs in the past, which she was unaware of. When Covid hit hard about a year ago, I asked our doctor if my wife could go off coumadin, and take aspirin instead so I wouldn't have to…
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Road Trip(2)
My LO and I will be taking a two day (12 total hours of driving) road trip in a few weeks. I'd like to hear about road trip experiences. My husband does not have bowel/bladder issues, yet. He will be unable to assist with driving or navigation and will likely lose track of where we are. Please share all experiences, even…
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Mother in Law
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Bidet?
My DW, stage six, still toilets herself but is having trouble cleaning herself with toilet paper leading to underwear issues, hand washing issues. Sometimes things go ok, often not so good. I am wondering if anyone has experience with installing a bidet to help improve personal care? I am concerned she could not learn to…
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I think I found something worse than forgetting
This morning my DH just watched me as I get him up/changed/and in his chair. I asked what was wrong and he continued to stare at me. As I got him his pills and breakfast he point at me and said, "you." I asked if he know who I was and he shook his head no. So I just figured out what is worse than forgetting things and that…
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How do you force someone into placement?
I'm hoping I never have to do that, but there are signs suggesting that it might be in the not too distant future. God, I hope not! Most of the time (80%?) she seems to be just about normal, knowing what is going on, and (mostly) how to respond to things. But then there is the other 20% to deal with, and I'm not sure I can…
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Sometimes you just can't answer the question
I sleep very lightly. When my wife gets up, or just moves around in bed, I wake up. Early this morning, she started moving around, and woke up. She asked me what time it was. I told her it was 2 o'clock. She then asked me "Why is it so early?".
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Donepazil
DW has been taking Donepazil and Memantine for several years, but it's hard to know if they've been doing any good. Due to an unfortunate set of circumstances we ran out of Donepazil, and DW had to go a few days without. Immediately she fell off her plateau, became even more restless and got into a foul mood. Let's hope…
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Questions: Cleaning up poop with shaving cream
* Does it matter what kind of shaving cream I use to clean up poop? * Does shaving gel also work to clean up poop? * Should anything menthol be avoided? * Do I just slather the shaving cream on, then wipe it off? * Do I rinse DH after wiping off the shaving cream? * Can shaving cream also be used for the bathroom clean-up,…
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Psych evaluation continues
DW's psych evaluation just finished its 3rd week. I got a call from a member of the Palliative Care team after they had been asked to do an assessment of her. They told me that she won't be leaving there any time soon. Also said that sometimes when a patient is ready to leave they can't be cared for at home. When I asked…
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He is gone
I have been absent for quite some time and I apologize for not being more supportive. DH lost his battle tonight. And, he battled, right to the end. Our daughter and son were here. We kept him home and we gathered at the end. Our daughter was with him when he took his last breath. Yesterday, after the aid and caregiver got…
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Fidget toy ideas
My Dh, stage 7, will often twist his blanket or towel or whatever he is holding in his hand, so I recently gave him one of the dog toys (it was new) that had a small rubber ball in the middle of a rope with knots. Then I gave him a large jumbo hot dog that crinkles. He will sometimes twist the ball around the rope or try…
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Who would have known Celexa was needed and makes the difference
Was having issues with DH for a while due to extreme sun-downing, agitation, sometimes aggression, etc., that has been going on for some time. I have posted about it looking for solutions, advice, etc. DH has been on Seroquel for awhile.. Adjustments had to be made because too much at one time made him worse. Finding the…
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You're gonna think I'm crazy, but where are we?
That's what she said right after breakfast. I told her we were in our home, and I told her the address. She said "I still don't know where we are. What is around here that I should know something about?" I told her Strack and Van Til's, a large grocery store, was about 6 or 7 blocks north of us, and the Corner Cafe was…
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Control over finances / loss of control
There may be a board for this but I could not find it. My DH thinks he should be in control of money coming to him from disability. He thinks it is play money, not for household expenses. He wont save it for the time he needs full time care and he gets angry and unreasonable when we try to talk about it. We are both on the…
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MC is opening up for visits!
DH has been in MC for 6 months now. Other than taking him out for appointments, all our visits have been with plexiglass between us. But now that Covid cases here are going down and the residents and staff have had their vaccinations, we can visit in their rooms starting Thursday! When I found out, I cried tears of joy for…
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It's another day
I joined this group over four years ago after finally having a diagnosis. The support on here I felt would be so helpful. I've not gone back and read my posts, but right out of the gate, I posted about going to an Elder Attorney for medical and durable power of attorney. My husband and I married in 1965. I was one month…
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Scary covid numbers
Scary numbers I use 7 day averages with a 21 day lag to calculate KIFR (Known Infection Fatality Ratio) Here is the 7 day average data for the last 14 days for deaths. Deaths week ending Feb 22 2041 Cases week ending Feb 1 148, 419 (21 day lag) KIFR 1.375% Deaths week ending March 1 1996 Cases week ending February 8 112655…
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Long Term Namenda Use Question
DW has been on Namenda (memantine) for 3 years, personally I never noticed any improvement when she started taking the medication. From what I have read the medication is only effective for about 1 year. I am contemplating asking her neurologist to remove this from her medication regiment. I wanted to ask if others have…